Makorra Moments
by cheernerd7
Summary: One-Shots and Drabbles Makorra style! 'But, if he were to find them like this tomorrow, it would be different. Now, they were providing each other safety and comfort. After their brush with death, they knew they couldn't bare to lose the other.' I'd love some prompts!
1. Forever and Always

_I know its late guys, but here's some Makorra Month. The prompts are pretty awesome and I couldn't resist joining in on the fun! I'm gonna try to keep them chronological, but who knows, there may be a prompt where I just jump around in. I hope you enjoy this and let me know what you think! So here you go! :D_

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**Forever and Always**

"Beautiful," She watched the young man mouth to the young lady he was so obviously enamored with. His amber eyes shown so brightly with awe at the way the girl simply walked towards him, yet she knew that in his mind, it was like the painted lady herself had decided to glide over and give him her blessing. In a last ditch effort, he ran a hand over his neatly combed, pompadour-styled, black hair. Her touch never seemed to slip his mind, as her dainty fingers slipped into his. It was as if they had melded into one being that balanced one another so perfectly. When she shifted to greet the people around them, he shadowed her movements. They were a constant push and pull. Tui and La. Even she could feel the aura of the room shift with the amount of bliss transferring between them in the atmosphere like multiple bolts of white hot lightening.

Despite the fact that they stood amongst the honored attendees of this evening's party, more guests still piled into the lobby, and he was not discreet at all in the way he pushed his nose lovingly against her temple. His warm amber eyes shut briefly as he whispered something into her dark, raven locks. The woman watched with amusement as the young lady's cheeks gained a small, rosy blush, thin eyebrows raised, and her green eyes squinted with interest. Her innocent gaze traced the patterns in the carpet, but the other woman could tell that the girl was trying to hide a coy smile.

Familiarity tenderly embraced her heart, and her blue eyes filled with admiration. A ghost of an image past stole her mind's eye, and the world around her suddenly shifted. She stood in the same place, the same time of day. Yet, the guests of that night dressed differently, uttered different gossips, and a different music played. The spicy, warm aroma around her belonged to the most handsome you man with black hair, a red scarf, and his own unique honey eyes that saw only her. A smile graced her lips at the comforting sensation that stirred a type of longing that no one else could give her.

The feel of an elbow gently nudging her arm brought her back into the waking world. She turned a smirk on the man with the lively, green eyes and the thick, waggling brows. There was no need to verbally confirm exactly what he thought. It was all too obvious that at some point during the night, these two young lovers would have a hard time not slipping out of the party and into a secluded location like the garden. Now, it was simply a matter of when and how.

'_It's not for what you think though,' _Her sparkling, blue eyes insisted as she shook her head slightly.

The earthbender cocked his head to the side in disbelief. The woman shook her head insistently once again, but the man beside her refused to believe anything differently. Rolling her eyes, she knew that she could not voice anything without ruining the young firebender's surprise for his lovely-inside and out-girlfriend.

Curious stares were on the pair, but the young couple refused to make any comments about the silent discussion that had clearly been about them, well aware that they would not get a direct answer. Instead, a deep, softened voice grumbled with a combination of humor and recently passed irritation, "Bathroom attendant kept offering me everything. I think he must have wanted my autograph."

"Sure he did. Maybe he was even trying to do his job," The woman sassily responded as her husband made his way towards her from across the hall.

For a moment his amber eyes twinkled with mock offense and he sneered with doubt. "No, I'm pretty sure that guy was trying to hit me up for a job, or signature. Maybe he thought he could forge it and sign checks with it."

"You old coot," She chuckled as his arm looped over hers. "I doubt he wanted to commit fraud with your name."

"Well, he'd be real stupid to mess with Republic City's former Chief of Police," The firebender muttered.

On his arm, his wife giggled the same giggle she had when he had met her at the age of eighteen. Quickly, and with the strength of a seventeen-year-old, she pulled him down to her, and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. She smiled warmly at him and stroked the white hair on the back of his head. "Enough conspiracy theories, Mako. I think it's high time we attended our own party, don't you?"

"Oh, GranGran," The tall young man that looked so much like his grandfather announced as though he had suddenly remembered something very important. He placed his long fingers against his forehead and then pointed back at her. "The garden with the fire lilies, right?"

"That's the one, Ryuu," She nodded in agreement with the private yet loudly announced question, and exchanged a smile with her youngest grandson.

His amber eyes sparked with anxiety and nervousness, but in his grandmother's eyes he saw only reassurance and love. Noting the intrigued expressions on everyone's faces, especially the suggestive look in his great uncle's green eyes, he bit his lower lip. "I suppose I'll have to get back to you on that."

"What's that about, Korra?" Mako whispered into her ear as they walked into the banquet hall behind a few of their family members. His amber eyes shifted between his beautiful wife and the young couple making their way to the family's table.

"He's going to propose to Hitomi tonight. But, don't go asking him about anything just yet. He's had a hard time keeping his cool about this," The elderly Avatar whispered.

"Just like you," He teased. Notoriety in the family had pegged Ryuu as always having an affinity for behaving much like Korra. He was bold, intelligent, outspoken, loyal, kind, brash, stubborn, trustworthy, hot-headed, passionate, and impulsive. All of these traits had made him a brilliant rookie police officer on the Republic City force-except for a few loose canon incidents-and an honorable young man with a bright future. In reality he was a perfectly combined balance of all of his grandparents, but the Avatar saw Mako most prominently in him. Korra loved all of her children and grandchildren equally, but there had been something special in her bond with the eighteen-year-old. So, it was no surprise that she had been the first and only one to know about Ryuu's upcoming proposal to his one and only.

"I think he may get that from his mother's side of the family. After all, Iroh fell flat on his face in front of Asami," She commented on the couple that shared a few mutual grandchildren with them, Ryuu being one of them. From where they stood, they could make out their lifelong friends exchanging a loving banter.

"I think you just cursed him," Mako laughed, placing a kiss on her forehead. He pulled out her chair and gentlemanly offered it to her. With the grace of her strong muscles that she still used to spar with him every once in awhile, she glided into her seat beside him. Gently, he squeezed her slightly wrinkled hand with his own as they threw one more stare at their grandson and the girl that loved him. The elderly firebenders voice came out soft as he whispered. "But, he'll do fine. Everything will work out. It did for us."

Korra's eyes twinkled, and Mako had to catch his breath at the sight of her beauty. Age had done little to detract from her stunning glory. In fact, it may have enhanced it. Her smooth, olive skin had merely a few lines and wrinkles, and lush, sienna lips still withheld the same childish grin. Her blue eyes still sparkled with the same innocence, and her now white hair would sometimes still slip in front of her them. And what galled him the most was how she still was physically, mentally, and spiritually, the most powerful woman on the planet.

Yet, it didn't matter that she could change the winds, bring the tides in and out, command the most violent volcano, and move the very core of the earth at her will. To him she was and always would be _his _Korra. Korra: the hot-blooded young woman that irritated him all the way through the last half of his one season of probending, the brave girl that had fought to protect the rights of all people around the world, the lady that he had fallen so much deeper in love with everyday since the day he had met her, the one he feared for when she was called away for Avatar duties, the woman that feared for him each time he left to serve his city, the girl that kept a brave face for the world but would write him homesick letters with tearstains as she was off travelling on her duties, the woman that dragged him penguin sledding each time they visited one of the Water Tribes, the one that always woke him from his nightmares and held him tightly, the girl that had mistakenly broken one of the chairs in their first apartment and had tried to act like nothing had happened when he arrived home that evening, the lady that he had been forced to hold back from a few rumbles simply so that she did not attract negative media attention, the one that kept him balanced. Korra: the girl that stole his heart, his wife, the mother of his children, and the love of his life.

"You bet it did, Cool Guy," She shot back, kissing him as if they were once again teenagers, young and in love.

'_Old and in love,_' Mako thought with a chuckle as he pulled away from her seventy-year-old lips. "Fifty years ago today, you made me the happiest man alive. Happy anniversary, Korra."

"Happy anniversary, Mako."


	2. Red Thread of Fate

_As promised, here is my first DAILY UPDATE! Please review! :D And enjoy!_

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**Red Thread of Fate**

As a boy, he had heard the stories, the legends, and the myths. And he had never been able to decide whether there really was such a thing as fate. After all, had it been _fate_ for two little boys-only eight and six years of age-to lose the two people that they had treasured most in this world? Had it been fate that had thrown him and his little brother into an orphanage, only for them to be forced to make a run for it in the dead of the night with the knowledge that in the morning they could quite possibly have been separated forever? Had it been fate that had made Mako steal the chance of a good home from his little brother that night? Had it been fate that had forced the young brothers to survive the harsh change of the seasons on the rough streets as petty thieves, young, scared, and very much alone? Had it been fate that the Triple Threat Triads had propositioned the young brothers with the promise of pay and protection so long as they ran numbers for the dangerous gang?

How cruel must fate be to play with pawns in ways such as these?

Yet then again if fate did exist, was she really always so cruel? Despite his sorrows and trials there had been good things that had happened to him in his young life. Had fate been there the time he had narrowly avoided being mowed down by a Satomobile one day in his early years on the way home from school? Had fate been there to give him Bolin, the one person that had always been at his side and his very best friend? Had fate been there all along to keep them alive so that they may one day live for what they had now? Had fate been there to bring him Toza during that scuffle so that he had a way off of the streets?

Had fate been there when _she_ came barreling into his life like a charging komodo rhino?

Thoughts such as these made his head swim. But, the longer they occurred, the more he needed to think about it.

If fate existed, so must the concepts of dharma and karma, as it was so tightly interwoven. Had he done something wrong to be rewarded with the death of his parents? No, that couldn't be. Had he done something so spectacular to be provided with someone so wonderful? No, he had done so many terrible things just to survive. Had he built up so much negative dharma that everything good in his life would once again come crashing down so that he was left wallowing in its ashes? There was so much good that he just didn't deserve.

'_What goes around, comes around, Mako,' _He thought solemnly to himself as he stared silently across the bay. The once clearly illuminated stadium that he had called home was now dark, only lit by a few lights inside, and torches of the security patrolling the reconstruction. Yet the city behind it glowed and masked it like a silhouette in the chilly, autumn night, and the moon shown so bright and full above him. His stare hardened as he looked at the black shape in the navy bay that was his reflection.

'_Not always,' _It whispered as it lapped at the poles of the dock, illuminated by the moon's glow.

With some amount of effort, he pushed the thoughts away. Were there really destinies written out in the stars? Or, was life simply a matter of choices that would eventually lead to the same thing that everyone was destined to reach anyways? Yet, perhaps it was a combination? Maybe it was a matter of choices made that aligned into what results fate had planned. Perhaps that was why fortunetellers had always bothered him. If anyone had known what he was to have lost as a child, would a proactive course have changed his parents' fate? Were people supposed to know their fate so that it could be stopped?

'_Fate.' _

There. He _had _just spewed out the word in his mind like it was nothing. Perhaps he did believe in it just a little bit after all. For one, sole reason. Korra. He didn't know how he knew. But, he knew now more than anything that Korra was his fate.

The moment she had gone missing under Tarrlok's doing, he had felt so entirely lost. His world had crumpled in on itself. Without her he would have forgotten how to breathe. She had become the one thing that actually tied him down to this earth. And in her absence, he had discovered that all along and forevermore, their lives would be intertwined like a sewn thread.

Gentle footfalls made the boards of the dock creak and moan in protest. Just by listening to their all too familiar pattern, he could decipher precisely whom they belonged to. Directly behind him, they stopped, and he could practically sense the person's movements as they reached down to wrap their arms around him. She hugged his back tightly against her chest. "Hey."

Although he caringly rested his hand against her forearm, he gave no other sign of acknowledgement. Contemplatively, his ambers trained on the water below. The young woman slid sideways slightly to look at her boyfriend of four weeks. She pouted when she caught his frown, but quickly flashed him a reassuring smile. "I thought I might find you here. What are you doing, Cool Guy?"

For a moment, he was silent. The wind picked up lightly and batted his collar against his cheeks. "Do you believe in fate, Korra?"

The Avatar pursed her lips, detecting a sensitive subject. Within seconds, her grin returned. "Well, if I had never stowed away in search of Tenzin and Republic City, I never would have met you, would I? Look at us now."

Mako smiled a genuine smile at her and squeezed her arm gently. "Yeah, but what if I hadn't been at that match the day you met me?"

"No," Korra protested, her blue eyes intense. "I don't know what, but something tells me that I would have met you regardless of whether or not you had been playing in that probending match."

He nodded. Looking at her now, and listening to her words, he could not doubt that something had drawn them together in this big, crazy world. The odds of their chance meeting had been followed up by their entire lives. And eventually, Korra had been drawn to the bending arena that he had somehow come to call home. Bolin had just happened to stumble upon her. It was all too perfectly set up. They had been meant to meet.

She patted his chest as she yawned against his shoulder, exhausted by the long days behind her and ahead of her. Restoring order and bending to Republic City had been quite the job. "You're thinking about 'what-ifs,' Mako. 'What-ifs,' they don't exist. No one can change the past, and I don't believe anyone is meant to change the future. It's all set in stone."

"So, you don't think we have any control over where we go?"

Korra picked her head up to peg him with a disbelieving look. Rolling her spectacular, cobalt eyes, she twiddled the frayed end of his red scarf between her two fingers. Mako watched as she twirled a loose string around all of her fingers, and finally wrapped it around her pinky to the point that it stuck. Her voice was teasing at first, but it held an exuberant amount force behind it. "Look who you're talking to, City Boy. _Of course_ I believe we have control over all of our actions. _I _came here, didn't I? _I_ decided to sneak away from the South Pole. _I _decided to join the Fire Ferrets. _I _decided to face Amon. _I _decided go off alone in the South Pole to clear my head. _You_ decided to come with me both times. I'm just saying that I believe all of these things are _meant_ to happen. It's like some cosmic force lined everything up to decide what is right in someone's life, but it is _entirely_ their responsibility to get there."

His hooked brows scrunched in contemplation. He was fairly certain that he understood what his girlfriend was trying to tell him. She had said herself that she felt it deep in her heart that they were meant for each other. And, she had been right. There was absolutely no other person in the world that he could be with. To be separated from her would be like a fish trying to survive out of water.

With intrigued amber eyes, he stared on as Korra tried to free her little finger from his old scarf. She rolled her hand around and did her best to guide the string off of her finger with her thumb, but to no avail. Korra hissed in irritation, and he chuckled. With his long fingers, he carefully grasped her wrist, and guided the string in the opposite direction that she had gotten it tangled in. He had to admit that she had gotten it good and tight, but it was nothing that couldn't be solved.

"Mom always said it would be around my ankle," She grumbled as though she were a small child trying to prove her point. For a brief moment his intense, honey eyes locked on her baby blues, and he noticed a small blush rising in her cheeks. Then, he realized that his own face had started to grow warm with its own pinkness, and he immediately turned back to the task at hand. He knew exactly what she had meant.

"Maybe it's not tied there," He said quietly, lifting her hand up to show what he meant. With a smile, he freed her pinky of its captivity, and at the same time a small fragment of the string was pulled off as well. Their eyes trained on the little thread as it slowly drifted, carried by the wind, down to the water below.

A red thread.

A red thread of fate.

Around his ankle so that it guided his very steps was a thin, invisible, red thread tied there by the spirits themselves. And, at the other end of that thread, was Korra's ankle. Or, perhaps it was around their little fingers. Either way it had stretched halfway across the globe from the South Pole to Republic City, joining them together even though they had not known each other yet. Something about the idea made him smile, the idea that Korra was destined to fall in love with him and only him. They were made for one another. A perfect match brought together by a simple red string.


	3. Compatibility

**Compatibility**

"I'm unbearable? Well you're insufferable!" Her insult was immediately backed up by a dousing of ice cold water created from the piles of snow that lined the sidewalks.

He cringed at the feeling of it as if claws of ice had raked across his very core. Furiously, smoke blew from his flared nostrils. His amber eyes smoldered with such seething intensity that they seemed to be the fire that had caused steam to rise of his clothing and hair. Already the moisture on his body began to evaporate and disintegrate into thin air as he angrily sparked flames from his closed palms.

With vexation, he bit back. "I'm impressed, Korra. You actually tried to stretch your vocabulary before using your fists."

Her blue eyes narrowed, and she refused to show that his words stung. Now, they were in a competition for who could get in the most vicious remark. They had had their string of arguments in their four months together as a couple, but this was by far one of the worst ones yet. For nearly fifteen minutes they had stood on the corner of the two avenues next to the park exchanging heated words. Some pedestrians would pause to glance at the spirited and livid young couple, but neither of them cared. Their argument had now become something to win. Yet, at that point neither of them could even remember exactly what had started their tempestuous debate.

The entire day up until that time had actually been quite pleasant. Mako had ended his shift at the station early, and they had been able to catch a late followed by a walk in the park. Sure, Korra had sniffled every once in awhile from the cold that had just passed. And even though the noise could make Mako tick, he was full of understanding and didn't say a word about it. Sure, during lunch he had been so still at points that he was like pygmy puma waiting and watching. Though his intense, unwavering stare could bug her, it was not something she blamed him for. No, the streets were to blame for that. He was so used to things simply disappearing.

But, now, all guns were out. Whatever the other said could and would be used against them. He had snapped at her for always having to win, and she had snapped right back that he always had to be right. Mako had criticized her ego, and Korra had condemned how aloof and arrogant he always acted. The firebender had blamed her for taking unreasonable risks, and the Avatar had rebuked him for never seeing the glass as more than half empty. Something vaguely told them that it had to do with the fact that they both felt that the other hardly made time for them anymore, but neither had fallen on the topic. Hurting each other now felt like the only way to settle this. No matter how much it stung to receive, they felt a guilty surge of power at the brief glimmers of pain in their significant others eyes.

"You want to hear a larger vocabulary? How's this for you, you pompous, overbearing, anal, self-righteous know-it-all?" Her pointed finger nearly pushed against the tip of his nose before unexpectedly shoving him back with a gust of wind into a pile of snow. Threateningly, she approached him, commanding the frozen water that pelted him in compact, little spheres. Her words dripped with venom, "Maybe if we had bit more time together, _darling_, you'd realize just how big of a vocabulary I actually have."

In the back of Mako's mind he knew that it was impossible to be practical at the moment. When it came to Korra, he never really was calm. She drove him to his wits end under all circumstances, and had worked him up into a tizzy. For whatever reason, he retaliated, and before she knew it a clump of snow had pelted her straight in the face. She blinked in surprise, but was more than prepared for his next attack. Korra barely dodged the frozen ball of water that water skimmed against her ponytail, but was able to physically throw a scoop of unclumped snow against his back.

A few flakes of white landed in the back of Mako's hair and against his coat, but immediately melted. As soon as it hit him, he chucked another at her. They were perfectly synchronized in their battle on the edge of a small clearing on the border of the park. Together they retreated, advanced, dodged, threw, and padded down another clump of snow. Neither of them realized exactly when they had started smiling, but it was after they had seen the grin on their significant other's face.

Mako chuckled as he rained down snow against her, but his eyes grew wide when she stopped it with a nimble wave of her hand. Her overly confident smirk made him wary of her next movement. He bristled with readiness as she lurked towards him like a predator. The firebender stiffened when she snatched his scarf with her other hand, and yanked him closer to her. A playful glare made her eyes squint, and Mako couldn't help but acknowledge how much he adored that mischievous twinkle. It was then that he realized that the tension had mostly drained from him.

Like any good, experienced fighter, Korra took advantage of her boyfriend's moment of weakness. With the skill of an experienced siren luring in a bewitched sailor and half-lidded eyes, she parted her lips and leaned towards him. His mind fogged over at the alluring taunt of her lips gliding towards his, and just like that he forgot about the threat of snow hovering above his head.

He sighed as the snow on his shoulders and head slowly melted away and evaporated, and lunged for her. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and he spun so that he landed on a pile of snow with Korra on top of him. Mako rolled over so that she might be pinned underneath him, but she refused to allow him the dominant position. The firebender frowned in defeat as Korra's arms paralleled on either side of his face, and she curled her lip at him in triumph.

"Alright, Avatar, you win." He whispered in surrender.

"And don't forget it," She muttered. She rolled off of him and landed beside him in the snow.

"I'm sorry I insulted you. I didn't mean it. You are incredibly intelligent and feisty. Why were we even fighting?" Mako turned his face towards her and smiled. Before she could open her mouth though, he added, "Uh, let's not start it up again."

"I guess I insulted you too though, huh? Sorry." She shot back with half of a grin. When he shrugged as though her cold words had not offended him in the slightest, she punched him in the shoulder. "I miss you."

He scrunched up his eyebrows. "I see you on the island every day."

She pouted. "That's not what I mean, Mako. I meant that for the last month or so we've hardly been able to go off just the two of us but maybe once a week."

"And we've been wasting it fighting," He breathed in disappointment. Mako quirked an eyebrow at her. "However, I have to admit that the snowball fight was fun."

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Korra grinned, and Mako felt his heart flutter at the way her crooked smile pulled up more on one side than the other.

The firebender nodded. "Well, I promise as soon as Beifong has me off of these awful shifts, which will be next week-I'll make sure of it-we'll see a lot more of each other. Just the two of us. Because I miss you too."

He found her hand and laced his fingers through hers. Bringing them up to his lips he said with the utmost sincerity, "I love you, Korra."

"I love you too, Mako." She nearly kissed him again, but instead stood up rapidly. His face drawn in a dissatisfied grimace, she helped him to his feet. Looping an arm around her shoulders, they trudged through the snow. That was until they passed a large pile, and he playfully shoved Korra into it. He didn't dare turn around as his girlfriend, dead set on revenge, barreled after him.

It was incredible how they could lose their heads entirely because of their strong, stubborn personalities. Yet, stubbornness was one of the only traits that they shared equally, and it made for an interesting relationship. They shared similar values and morals, yet their personalities complimented and contrasted one another's almost perfectly. They were like a perfect push and pull. Truly they were in such perfect harmony that they could be nothing less than compatible.


	4. Faith

_Here we go! Please review!_

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**Faith**

"_I miss you," She breathed into the speaker, well aware that their conversation would end sooner than they both hoped._

"_I miss you too. I can't wait for you to come back home. One more day," His voice sighed hopefully against her through the earpiece. There were muffled demands being barked from the other end of the line, and Korra pegged its owner immediately as Chief Beifong. Mako's voice became a bit more rushed, and Korra could tell that whatever Lin had said to him had put him on an adrenaline rush. "Hey, I've got to go, okay? We just had a little break in a case that we're about to bust. I'll call you tonight and let you know how it went, alright?"_

"_Okay." Before he could go she added, "Be careful."_

"_I will. Love you. Bye"_

"_Love you too," Her reply was nearly cut off by the sound of the other line cutting off. She swallowed with the knowledge that he was about to go straight into the line of fire. Danger was imminent, and she dreaded the feeling that she was so far from him where she couldn't be around to make sure he was safe. It was not that she doubted his competence in protecting himself, she just had to have faith that he would be okay. But that was something that was hard to have when he was marching straight into the heart of Agni Kai territory._

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"We're gonna get out of here, Kuro," He whispered in the dust filled darkness. Their backs were pushed against the cinderblock wall, they panted heavily, and sweat rolled down their foreheads. The firebender glanced at his waterbending partner with so much determination in his amber eyes that the other rookie had no choice but to nod, despite what seemed to be an impossible situation.

It had all been a set up. They had been ambushed from all sides. The Agni Kais had been expecting them. There was no rumble between the Agni Kais and Red Monsoons, and there never was going to be one. No, they were actually working together to eliminate the fuzz that they believed was soft on their biggest rival, the Triple Threat Triad.

Mako and Kuro had been the first responders to the situation due to the fact that they had experience in dealing with gangs from the inside. The goal had been to send in two talented bending officers to settle the dilemma peacefully, but neither of the young officers had expected to need to call in back up so soon. When they had arrived on the scene, they had almost laughed at the sight of only four new initiates of the two triads duking it out with fists and words. It appeared to be that a couple of Red Monsoons had wandered onto the cul de sac. Something in the air carried the scent of trouble, but they had still been surprised when from all around both sides of the street rained lightning, fire, and daggers of ice aimed to penetrate their hearts.

They had been forced to retreat in the opposite direction of their bikes to regain their footing, and they rested just briefly enough to catch their breath in a small haven with the clock quickly ticking. Their faces were covered in soot and rubble as they ducked behind a building and desperately thought of a way of escape. Mako's sharp, firsthand knowledge of the city layout told him that there was no back alley here, but directly across from them, on the other side of the street, there was a back route to freedom. There they would have the ability to find their salvation in backup. His heart pounded. "We're gonna need to gun our way out. There's an alley just over there."

"Are you crazy?" Kuro hissed in restrained distress.

"I don't want us to fry here." Mako argued.

The Water Tribe descendant swallowed and ran a hand through his short, chocolate hair. Slowly he nodded. "Whatever you say, partner."

"On three, alright? Give it everything you got. One." A loud explosion thundered the building they stood against and Mako shouted rapidly, "Two! Three!"

Fire and water were exchanged all around in their most deadly forms as the two young officers charged across the pavement, fighting and running for their lives. Their minds seemed to slow time down all the same as their senses made every occurrence longer than it should have been. They hopped over fences, ran through a backyard, and over another fence into the alley that Mako had prayed was there. At once they were fired upon by a sole being. His flames singed the hairs on the side of unsuspecting Mako's head, but they were quickly put out by Kuro, who reacted quickly enough to put a dagger of ice through the man's throat.

The young firebender turned to the man that had saved his life at once, and breathed a quick, "Thanks, partner."

"You'd do it for me," Kuro panted as they ran down the alleyway, fists raised at the ready. As if his words were spoken by fate, a crackling could be heard from just behind them.

It did not take long to realize that the lightning was aimed straight at his waterbending partner, and Mako acted on instinct. It only seemed natural. After all, it was something he had done almost his whole life. Protect. And before he felt the electricity surge into his grasp, he knew faith. Faith that he had in his ability to redirect it. Faith in their success on their mission. Faith that back up would come. Faith in his partner. Faith that Kuro, his brother on the force, would take care of Korra if anything were to happen to him.

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Her stomach dropped the moment she saw his face on the edge of the pier. Mako hadn't called her last night. She had nearly been restrained by her ever vigil guards so that she did not leap off of the ferry from Kyoshi Island and onto the Republic City docks. Yet, as soon as the rigging had been tied down, she had rushed onto the cement deck to meet him. His face was drawn, and bruises outlined his features. When she approached him he gave her a small smile.

Korra threw her arms around his neck in a hug, but she didn't smile back when grasped his shoulders to look him in the eye. "Kuro, it's good to see you. Where's Mako?"

Kuro frowned, "Korra, I have to tell you a story."

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"Don't take one step closer. Not a single one of you." The abrasive woman said stepping defensively in front of the bed. The other two officers on duty in his room stood erect and lowered their stances. Though he was under several large doses of heavy medication, he still had the strength to pick his head up at the sudden disturbance. "Not if you want to walk free. I've got plenty on you, Zolt."

"Chief, Beifong," The renowned, infamous gangster began. His deep, rumbling voice made the boy on the bed's heart pound. He had left them peacefully. When he had left there had not been any disturbances in the triad. Sure, he served as Zolt's personal runner at times, but the Triple Threat Mountain Master had been fairly understanding when the boy had asked to leave. Although, he had never expected Mako to become an officer of the law. "We would just like a moment."

"I don't believe my officer requested your presence," Lin bit back.

"Please, Chief," Two-Toed Ping voiced from behind his boss. "Don't deny us the right to see a friend in the hospital."

"She doesn't have to deny you that because I will regardless of what you say," An assertive, female voice threatened from the doorway. Her body was rigid and prepared to strike at a moments notice. Blue eyes glared daggers at the three gangsters in her injured beloved's hospital room.

Though his vision was fogged by the ever-resent cloud of drugs running through his veins and the excruciating pain coursing around his entire being, he could recognize her. He would know that voice anywhere. He tried to smile despite his burning nerves. His voice was merely a scratchy, poor excuse for a whisper, "Korra."

Her cobalt blues turned soft when she gazed at him lying in the hospital bed. She had never seen him so beaten and broken. His entire torso was swathed in bandages, his arm wrapped in a cast was supported by a sling, his left eye was hidden by a purplish swell, and his lip was busted. It was Kuro's presence beside her, hurt but not nearly as badly as her boyfriend, that reminded her where she was. The Avatar glared at the gangsters. "What's your business here?"

Zolt stepped back and bowed to her. "Avatar Korra, forgive any misunderstanding. We simply came to wish Mako the best."

"Korra," Mako croaked this time a bit more loudly. He turned his hand over and spread his fingers so that she would grasp them. The officers at his side stepped away as the Avatar, with eyes still trained on the gangsters, made her way to her boyfriend's side. With his one decent eye, he looked her over and attempted to smile. "Let them speak."

The Avatar shook her head desperately. These people, if they so much as opened their mouth, would make everything a reality. They would confirm what Kuro had told her. They would either offer protection, or they would ignore the fact that an old member of theirs was in complete danger. They might even take matters into their own hands and offed him themselves. "Not if it means you get hurt."

"That's not our intention." Zolt told her. She glared at the gangster, and he had to smile back at her. The ferocity in her stare made the gangster appreciate the spirit of confidence so much more. After all, the Avatar was a rather small person considering the immense amount of power she possessed. "We take care of our own, and the people they love. You all should have a little more faith."

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_I hope you liked it! Please review!_


	5. Respect

**Respect**

"_So, it doesn't mean absolutely anything to you?" _Her question had been echoed many times in many different tones, and each time he had answered exactly the same way. Her status as the Avatar made her no less human, no less infuriating, no less arrogant, no less impulsive, no less his Korra. No matter what she did, or what decisions she made, he only took her person into account. To her, it was almost entirely foreign to be treated as an equal instead of a sought after superior. Of course, those close to her had managed to get over the glory of her presence. Yet, Mako took it an extra step further.

More often than not the firebender would completely disregard her authority as the Avatar, and Korra often mistook it for disrespect. However, that was not the case. Mako was in awe with the blue glow of the Earth's miraculous spirit that inhabited his girlfriend's body. He marveled at the way she would command the spirit, and his entire being would be filled with the highest regard. The blue glow was permanently etched in his mind as the most powerful being in the universe. Yet, her status had absolutely nothing to do with why he loved her, so it was not something he factored into the equation of why he respected her.

If things had been different between them and he had not known her like he did, he would have respected her solely for the three reasons of being a person, a woman, and the Avatar. Yet, he did know her as the woman he loved, and there were countless reasons for his admiration. She was clever, quick to action, decisive, outgoing, bold, good-humored, opinionated, and so much more. He even admired her faults, regardless of how much they could bother him. To him, she was his equal, his life partner, and he would treat his girlfriend as the greatest woman in the world simply because he loved her. And, loving Korra was something that came so naturally to him.

"Korra," He groaned. Mako had to bite his lip to withhold the gasp that would have escaped his throat. "No, it doesn't."

"I'm giving you a one of a kind opportunity," She breathed huskily against his neck. Her lips gently sucked the sensitive skin of his collarbone, and the position she had put him in was more than compromising. If Tenzin were to catch them like this the airbending master probably would have had a stroke, nevertheless remove all of the oxygen from Mako's lungs. The middle-aged monk hardly ever gave them a moment entirely alone, but it was not because he did not trust Mako. It was that he didn't trust his student to not make any regretful, heat-of-the-moment decisions. And, now was a perfect example as to why that was. For in the limited amount of time that they were entirely alone in her quarters on the island, she had managed to pin him back on her bed and had straddled him. With determination she trailed hot, butterfly kisses up and down his throat. Her voice was throaty and Mako knew that she was more than interested in having him fully unclothed. "Do you know how many people would _kill_ for an opportunity like this? To make love to the Avatar?"

His eyes widened and his pupils delighted at her suggestion. He could not deny that he was interested, aroused actually, but he simply couldn't let himself do that. Especially when she was bargaining her status as the Avatar. Gently, he pushed her back and sat up. Before she could pout with the hurt of rejection he urged forcefully, "You mean _have sex_ with, Korra? Because what you're implying is that people just want to do you for a status thing. That's not what I'm about. I don't want to simply _have sex_ with _the_ _Avatar_, I want to _make love_ to _you_, Korra."

"Well, I'm glad we're on the same page," She added quickly, lightly nibbling a tender spot on his neck.

Again, he pushed her back and held her there. His brows furrowed, and he shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts. "No, we're not. I want to. Just not now. I respect you too much. You're not ready."

"Who are you to say I'm not ready?" She bit back in irritation, bothered by her unfathomable amount of frustrated yearning for him. Korra released him and retreated to the other side of her bed, glaring reproachfully at her boyfriend of nine months. "I can decide when I am, and when I'm not, Mako. And I am."

"You're not though. I know that, because I know you. You want it now, but you may think differently later. That's just how you are. You act first, and then you suffer the consequences later. You get so wrapped up in the moment that you don't think things through!"

"Stop chastising me! You make it out like I never consider my actions. Besides, why does something like this really need much thinking through?" She was yelling now, on her feet. "It's supposed to be about passion right? About two people that love each other, right? We love each other, don't we?"

He was up too. "Yes, of course, but I-"

"But you what, Mako?" She shouted, throwing her hands up. "Think I can't handle it?"

"No!" He roared. His face had turned purple, and steam escaped his eardrums. She really knew how to get under his skin. "I can see it in your eyes, Korra. You're afraid of it. You aren't ready, and neither am I."

Her breath rattled her small frame, and she looked at him in surprise, animosity temporarily forgotten. She was scared? At first, she was irritated by the suggestion, but with a bit more thought she knew it to be true. She was afraid of giving herself to Mako, and losing him forever. "No, I'm not."

He sighed, and reached for her. Lovingly he wrapped her in his arms, trying to calm the frigid young woman. His gloved hand reached under her chin, and he tilted her head back so that he could look her in the eye. Her blue eyes were hardened to hide the embarrassment settling into her cheeks. Mako gave her a half smile, and his amber eyes grew soft. "My father I always told me to respect a woman, sweetheart. Even when I was young he taught me that there were some things in this world worth saving for the right time, and I strongly believe this is one of those things. For you, I would wait a thousand lifetimes. I'm going to protect your honor, Korra. Just think, if you were to become pregnant, the press would go wild!"

"Not after one time," She argued.

"It can happen," He urged. "But, even if that doesn't happen, even if the press didn't follow you around like a shadow, I would still care about the repercussions. I want you to be my bride one day Korra, and I've waited my whole life for that day. And I'll wait for that night for however long it takes. I love you, Korra. I respect you too much, please just respect that I want to wait until then. For you."

Inhaling deeply, she turned her face into his palm. Gently she took his fingers away from her face and put them around her waist. She loved him uncontrollably and unconditionally, and no matter how much his protectiveness and brooding could bother her, she loved it about him. He was a gentleman that had her best interest at heart. Korra sighed and she glanced downwards in embarrassment. Quietly she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He smiled and a blush ran across his cheeks. "You're not the only one that's thought about it."

"Is that so?" Her sultry voice returned, and a mischievous twinkle shined in her cobalt blue eyes.

Mako nearly took a step back at the suggestiveness in her tone and he scratched behind his neck. "Well, yeah, but I'm not saying we should-"

"No, no. I know that. I respect that," She muttered nonchalantly, throwing off his words as she strung her arms around his neck. Korra stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "But, until then-"

She never really finished that sentence. Instead, she twirled her dainty fingers through the back of his short, raven hair and pulled his lips down to hers. Without much thought she pushed him back, her hands slipped under his coat, and within no time Mako found himself pinned back beneath her. Suspicious of her motives, he quirked an eyebrow at her. Korra insisted, "I don't plan on it."

"Good," He responded and rolled them over. Mako loomed above her and placed a chaste kiss to her lips. The firebender needed to get away. She was all too alluring at the moment, and she had been known to drive him to acting on a whim. "But, I don't trust you."

"No, City Boy, I'll abide by your wishes," She told him honestly.

Not five minutes later a curious airbending master went on a search for his student. After a short hunt for the Avatar, the grand master heard something rather peculiar coming noise coming from behind a shoji screen. His face turned beet red as humiliation, disappointment, and anger flooded all of his senses. Tenzin's blue eyes fogged with rage as he flung the door open, and his jaw slack with surprise. He cleared his throat so that the shouts he had clogged up in shock would come out as steady words. Calmly he spoke, "Korra, I've been looking for you."

"Oh, Master Tenzin." Her blue eyes squinted with a sheepish smile, and she lowered the fist that she was prepared to ram into her boyfriend's back. For pinned on his stomach beneath her, his hands held behind his back by her knees, and his cheek shoved into the floor, was Mako. The young firebender looked more than relieved to see a chance of escape, and Tenzin made a mental not to ask the young lovers exactly what their physical quarrel had been over. He had found them like this before, ready to tear each other to pieces with a smile on their face.

Tenzin sighed and rolled his eyes in sympathy for the boy, "Korra, I don't believe that it is respectful to brawl with an officer of the law."

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_**A/N: **Well, I really hoped you liked it, and I would especially love some feedback on this! PLEASE REVIEW! 3  
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	6. Selflessness

**_A/N: _**_Here it is! After long last! I'm sorry for the delay. I've just been very busy lately. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! Starts out kind of cute, but ends up a little bit on the darker side. Please read and review!_

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**Selflessness**

"Mako," She called as she walked towards the back of the police station where she knew he would be on his short dinner break. When she saw his face peer curiously around the corner of a wall, eyes alight with happiness at her presence at his work, she gleefully held out a brown paper bag. He walked towards her, and every once in awhile unbeknownst to his girlfriend, shot glares at officers at their desks that stared a little too long and hard at her passing hips. She smiled broadly at him, and he couldn't help but return it. "I got your favorite, a couple of green tea mochi. They're still fresh and frozen."

He grabbed the bag from her and pushed an adoring kiss to the tip of her nose. The tall firebender had to hold his cap steady on top of his head as he leaned down to her height. Truthfully the sight was rather endearing, and neither of them would have been ashamed to admit that they enjoyed every second of it. "Thank you, sweetheart. Would you care to share them with me?"

"Absolutely!" She announced enthusiastically. The Avatar had absolutely no interest in returning to Air Temple Island just yet as Tenzin had been on her case recently about several new airbending forms. She would have gone to visit with Bolin or Asami after dropping off a treat for Mako, but Bolin was busy at probending practice and Asami was prepping for her '_business arrangements and contracts' _with General Iroh. So, perhaps it was partly for selfish reasons that she had decided to stay and enjoy dessert in Mako's company. Either way, she more than enjoyed his presence.

"How's your day been?" He asked as they positioned themselves side-by-side on a loveseat in the break room. The relatively small-sized chamber contained a kitchenette, a few lunch tables, and a lounge with a radio playing the only the newest hit songs in Republic City. There were a few other on duty patrol officers like Mako scattered about. Most, like him, were still head to toe in their gear in case they were called out as reinforcements. Some rested their eyes as they laid back against sofas, others munched, some gossiped and bickered, and a few listened intently to the music.

With a mouthful of the mochi and green tea ice cream she answered with a shrug, "Ugh, where do I start? The council has been riding my butt about enforcing some kind settlement with the tension between the Northern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom. Which I really don't mind doing, I love travelling and I love protecting prople. I mean it's my job, but I didn't get any say in it at all. Every time I threw out an idea, the only one that backed me up at all was Tenzin. I'm supposed to go back to the island in about thirty minutes for airbending practice, but I don't know if I want to deal with baldy right now_.-Ah brain freeze!-_ How about yours?"

He squeezed her free hand and laughed at the way she took no time at all to actually slow down when it came to eating, even something frozen. His ball of mochi wasn't even halfway finished, and she had completely inhaled hers. Already she was eyeing the third one in the bag that she must have purchased for his partner. "It's been interesting. This morning Kuro and I were the responders to a call about a civil dispute between this guy and his boss down in Dragon Flatts Borough. This guy showed up to work completely plastered, so of course his employer was furious. They got into it yelling and shouting, and another employee called the cops just for safe measure. Anyways, we got there and we were told that he stormed out because he just got fired. I have no idea how this guy stumbled out of there without throwing any punches, he was kind of an angry drunk. So Kuro and I went after him for follow up, and to calm him down so he didn't cause any more public disturbances. We would have escorted him back to his apartment since we found him teetering down the block like a complete idiot, but he just wouldn't have it. We went through all the proper procedures to ask him to settle down, but he started throwing all of these insults at Kuro for just being Water Tribe. He even called him a snow savage."

"What a tool," Korra hissed in annoyance over the drunkard's ignorance.

The firebender nodded. "Tell me about it. Especially since Kuro's grandparents are from the Foggy Swamp. They're all about how people are branches of the same tree. It pissed me off too. I mean the love of my life is from the Water Tribe."

"Yeah, you bet she is! Did he fight him?" She asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"I'm getting there," He whispered, keeping his voice low so that other officers could not listen in. His girlfriend smiled in delight as he continued his story. "You know Kuro. He usually isn't one to lose his cool, but he was provoked to an extreme, and the guy put his fists up and challenged him. It was an on-your-honor thing, so there was no bending or weapons, it was just a fistfight for them to prove themselves. They made a deal that the guy would be arrested if Kuro won, but he wouldn't have to be locked up at all if he won. Anyways Kuro got his lip busted, but ultimately the drunk guy tapped out. We did take him in, but not for anything except civil disturbance. He could have gotten in a heap of trouble for assaulting an officer, but that's not us."

"He's lucky."

"No kidding. Just a little while ago we had some suspicious-"

Mako broke off the second a panicked announcement sounded over the police scanner that only a few officers in the break room were paying any attention to. Immediately, the nearest officer turned it up so that they could hear the dispatcher, "Corner of Main Street and Momiji Boulevard, mob fight and hostage situation, at least three dozen brawlers, armed and dangerous. Officers requesting back up."

Instantly all of the on duty patrol officers jumped to their feet and barraged down the hallway towards the garage. Korra was hot on Mako's heels, and he knew that it would be futile to argue with her as she climbed up behind him onto his bike. It had been a couple of weeks since Korra had seen any action, and she had begun to grow a little antsy. So, it was easier to simply agree that she could tag along. However, as soon as they arrived on scene Mako wished he had said something.

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"Korra, no!" He screamed, snatching her forearm before she could bolt out into the line of fire. They had taken cover behind police squad cars as explosions shook the entire city block. The situation had escalated tenfold. Air balloons had come to deliver special forces, but their efforts had quickly been trumped by the new technology that had fallen into the mobsters' hands. There were no less than six dozen triad members, more than half of them Agni Kais, that had decided to face off against one another. But with police's arrival the battle had quickly turned into a three-way sparring match. And to make matters worse, the hostage situation that had taken place inside of the Agni Kai front was beginning to grow rather serious. However, once the captives' identities had been confirmed, the Red Monsoons had pleaded with the Republic City Police for a ceasefire on their side.

It had been revealed to the police by their source amongst the Monsoons that the Agni Kai Triad had taken into their custody the three young children of Red Monsoon boss, Koots Katashi. Any situation such as this was tricky to deal with, but the way the Agni Kais had barricaded themselves inside made it nearly impossible for a rescue attempt. The one endeavor for salvation that they had made had resulted in the bombing of a Red Monsoon front down the street, and a serious gash on the side of Katashi's middle child's face. The police had been notified of the children's well being by an anonymous caller inside the front with a scratchy, threatening voice. Each time an officer or Monsoon made a move the caller did not appreciate, the sound of one or more of the children's screams could be heard resonating from the background. His identity had been demanded, but the man had immediately informed them that they were in no position to barter. The only possible way for any of their opponents, the man had said, to see the children alive would be for the delivery of three hundred million yuans to the Agni Kai headquarters made by Koots Katashi himself, alone and unarmed.

The entire situation had nearly made Mako sick, yet he had kept his composure. How could anyone stoop so low as to putting mere children into harms way? He wanted nothing more than to barge inside there, through the smoke, fire, and lightning, to rescue the little ones himself. But, such a method would be impractical. For the officer or Monsoon mobster would be struck down immediately, and quite possibly be the cause of one or more of the children's untimely deaths. Scouts and the caller had informed them that for every fifteen minutes they wasted not bringing them the money, another front would be blown away and another injury would be sustained by each of the children until their bones could not take the breaks and their hearts could not take the gashes. Trip wires lined the buildings, and an army of Agni Kais, some concealed and others in the open, rained fury upon them.

In the heat of the battle, in a fireproof, blue and silver Satomobile, Koots Katashi had arrived on scene with his underboss. Mako didn't know whether to be impressed or disgusted by just how calm and collected Katashi was as he demanded to know the status of his children. But, it became obvious that his composure was on its wits end when Captain Saikhan had put the slightly younger man on the phone with the caller in the back of one of the vans filled with investigation technology. One officer had connected the phone to a scanner that could record the conversation and played it aloud so that everyone inside and around the immediate vicinity could hear.

"What do you want with my children? You release them this instant!" Katashi had hissed into the speaker. His words were laced with so much venom that some of the officers around him flinched.

The anonymous caller had clicked his tongue several times, _"Now, now. Let's not be brash, Koots. We need our money first, from you of course."_

"I can send you the money right now, but you release my boys first, Sizzler," He said, recognizing the man on the other end of the line. Mako's blood ran cold. He had heard of the cold-hearted mobster before, had witnessed his deeds first hand, his parents had been his victims.

"_I'm afraid that's not really an option. See, we can't release them until we know you're on your way, and we won't be willing to take the money from anyone but you. Your wife already tried."_

The Red Monsoon boss swallowed. Though his short, broad stature still stood proudly, Mako could see the brief glimmer of a wounded man in his blue eyes. "It's not honorable to include women and children in our affairs, Sahen. What did you with Kameyo?"

"_How about you ask your boy?" _Sahen the Sizzler had offered in his most amused tone. The line seemed to be ruffled and his voice could be heard in the background demanding, _"Talk to your dad, kiddo."_

"_Papa?"_ A young male voice had requested frantically. The voice on the other line of the phone could have been no more than nine years old, and with the sound Mako's heart nearly broke.

"Kei?" Katashi breathed in such obvious relief. "I'm coming, son. You just be strong. Keep your brothers safe."

"_Papa,"_ The boy had parroted, almost dazed. _"Papa, Momma's dead."_

A short silence had enveloped the group around the man on the phone, but it was so thick and heavy with grief that it could have been cut by a knife. The man shook his head and choked back tears that he would not dare let his son hear. "You just hold on, Kei. I'm comin'."

"_They killed her, Papa! They killed Momma! They'll kill you too! Don't do what they say, Papa! Don't give it too, 'em!" _The boy's voice had been in hysterics, and his screams had obviously disturbed the anonymous caller, now identified as the notorious Sahen the Sizzler. His cries were muffled by the Agni Kais shouts as an obvious struggle for the phone could be overheard.

There had been a loud crack and a shrill cry of pain, followed by whimpering before the phone wound up back in the Sizzler's grasp. _"You have twenty minutes."_

"I have to, Mako," Korra argued, not yet trying to tug her arm free. She looked her beloved straight in the eye. Her own blues reflected the same sadness and fear for the loss of the young lives inside the front that he felt. The clock was ticking, and they were running out of options. The police had requested that the Avatar not try anything just yet at the risk of jeopardizing the mission, but now the stakes were too high to not take a chance.

"No, it's too dangerous. There's too many of them," The firebender shook his head urgently.

"I _have _to," The waterbender disagreed.

"Not unless I come with you," His voice was nearly pleading.

Korra almost smiled at just how irrational he sounded. Almost. She shook her head from side to side, wolftails flapping. Tenderly, she leaned into him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Without me, those kids are either going to be the newest members at a Republic City orphanage, or the morgue. I don't care how bad of a guy Koots can be, those are just kids in there. I need you here to watch my back. Please, Mako. Let me try."

The young man swallowed. Who was he kidding? If he were to follow her out in his current state of mind, he would wind up being an extra burden. The best way for him to help her would be to scope out Agni Kais and move in with his fellow officers. Mako nodded, "Be safe."

She gave him the lopsided grin that he loved so much, and a quick kiss on the cheek before she allowed the blue glow of the Earth's Spirit of endless lifetimes to captivate her being once more. In awe, he watched her surge above the ground in a wind tunnel fueled by rage. In an instant the exposed members of the Agni Kais had been gust away in infinite directions. The Monsoons and police force stared up at the blinding light in wonder, and did their best to maintain their footing on the quaking earth and in the powerful wind.

It was Mako that pulled them out of their transfixed state as he charged after the Agni Kais that fought to stand once more. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his girlfriend disappear through the window of the second story of the building. He smirked as he watched unconscious men fly out through where she had gone in. But, he was terrified when he saw the blue light, resonating around the street, fade.

His heart fell into the pit of his stomach as he threw another flaming strike at a mobster with cruel, orange eyes. How he wished to tear away from the fight and search for her in the building. How he wished that she was safe back at the station complaining that it was taking him forever to get back. How he wished that he could hold her and tell her he loved her one more time. But, he knew that these were only thoughts of panic. He knew he had to focus.

Yet, when a sonic blast erupted and shattered all of the windowpanes around them, and a blinding blue glow shone all around the streets, it was nearly impossible for anyone to focus. Just in front of the now windowless building, in all her Avatar glory, stood Korra, eyes glowing, fists blazing. A few yards before her, making his way onto his feet could be none other than Sahen the Sizzler. He pulled his fists to the ready and sneered at her. "How about you fight me, Avatar? Instead of hiding behind that blue glow of yours?"

Even though the spirit ruled her body, Mako could still make out the condescending grimace that Korra loved to give so much. Her shining eyes narrowed, and as soon as Sahen prepared to move, Korra side-stepped. Through the vibrations in the ground, a talent of Aang's she utilized, she could feel the very movements he planned to make. At once the pavement responded to her, and Sahen wound up into a very uncomfortable looking position. The splits.

The gangster howled in pain, but was cut short by a swift moving rock to the head, knocking him out cold. Mako wanted to chuckle at the way his girlfriend was so direct, but then he saw it. His amber eyes widened in horror at the metallic glint of it, and he began to make chase as the glow in her eyes began to fade. But, his path was blocked by the man he dueled with. Irritated and anxious, Mako swooped beneath the Agni Kai's strike, grasped his wrist, twisted the arm around, and pressed with his forearm just above the elbow. He howled in pain, but the young officer could have cared less.

"Medic!" Mako felt as though no matter how fast he tried to run towards her, something was pulling him back. He was within three yards of her when the glow dimmed, two when they returned to her own azure color, and one when she swayed and lost her balance. She fell sideways, into his arms and moaned in pain. With great care, he did his best not to touch her left side, and let her right side lean against him. Gently, he slid onto his knees so that she could sit down. "Korra, Spirits, are you all right?"

Her sharp, blue eyes looked at him with humorous disbelief. He tried not to pay attention to how sluggish her voice actually was. "Sure. The knife in my shoulder stings a bit, but other than that I'm okay. Is someone getting the kids out?"

Her firebender glanced upwards in time to see Koots Katashi break down into tears as he approached his battered, frightened, but relatively healthy, little boys. He felt a twinge of jealousy at the way they could still embrace their father, but immediately regretted it. They had just lost their mother. He cursed himself for being so selfish. How unfair of him to begrudge three small children of something they had no control over. Why couldn't he be more like the girl in his arms? Giving and noble. If he had voiced the opinion aloud, she probably would have disagreed with him and told him that he was amazing. Mako wished he could agree with her, but right now the only thing he put before himself was her. If it were their own children though, he would have done the same. With a sad smile, he nodded. "Yeah, they're safe."

"Good. That's good," She muttered before slowly losing consciousness in his tender embrace.

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_**A/N:** And there we have it folks. Told you, a little heavy. Does Korra get better? Eventually, I mean it kinda hurts to have a blade sticking out of the back of your shoulder. And combined with the exertion of energy from the Avatar State, you would probably pass out too. Please REVIEW!_


	7. Firsts

**_A/N:_**_ These prompts ar so cute! Here is family week day 1 Firsts! Please read and review!_

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**Firsts**_  
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"Just try to relax, sweetheart. It'll come naturally. Don't be afraid of it," Her husband's voice cooed softly and sweetly.

"I am not! I just don't wanna," The little one before him protested. Her big, amber eyes looked at him defiantly, but directly beneath that layer of stubborn determination was a generous amount of uncertainty. She jutted her lip out in a pout, and her little fists were balled as her forearms crossed over her chest. The young man sighed and knelt down before her. Even crouching he was a good head and a half taller than their raven-haired four-year-old. Despite the height difference, it was evident that she had the same spirit as her father, and was most likely just as iron-willed as her mother.

"Well, why not, Kanji?" Mako questioned, grasping her tiny, caramel colored hands in his own.

"Because," Kanji mumbled out of the corner of her mouth, refusing to meet his matching eyes.

Korra would have intervened to offer her support on the matter, but she had her own task at hand of keeping her six-year-old sons at bay. It wasn't that she couldn't handle the pair and help her husband with Kanji. The matter was that the two, at least her younger twin, required a constant reminder that he was not to disturb his sister during this very delicate time of hers. And, as if on cue, Ren opened his mouth, "Oh, come on."

His groan earned a sharp glare from his mother beside him, and he grinned at her innocently. He shrugged and offered her open palms, "What? It's true. She's taking too long."

"Ren," The Avatar warned in a low voice. On the inside, she smirked at just how effective a mother's threat could really be, but she didn't dare elaborate on any sort of discipline. She decided to leave it open ended so that his over active imagination could run wild.

The blue eyed little boy gave her a sulky look of begrudging disappointment that almost made her think that she was looking directly into a mirror. Despite his fair, milky complexion, he resembled her a great deal. He had her nose, her facial shape, her hair color, her eyes, and her knack for getting into trouble. Sourly he muttered under his breath, "She's just being a baby."

With her more than adequate hearing in tune, Kanji turned around to glare at her older brother. "I am not a baby!"

"You ar-," Ren's argument was cut short by a gentle, forceful hand clamped over his mouth.

"Not the time, Ren." Mako breathed as he comfortingly rubbed his daughter's shoulder reassuringly.

"Nice try, kiddo," Korra teased the moment she felt her child's slobber on the inside of her palm. The young woman had never been one to be overly disgusted by things that were conventionally considered repulsive, but as a mother she had learned an entirely new definition of foul. And, for the most part with a good amount of conditions for sanitary reasons, had learned to accept it.

He sighed in defeat and hummed something inaudible into her hand. Though Kanji was obviously still frazzled over her brother's declaration that she was inferior because she was younger, Mako had managed to distract her back into focusing on the task at hand. Korra hugged her boys closer to her legs to give them an extra reminder that they had a deal on the line, and did not want another incident like last night.

* * *

_It was quiet. Far too quiet. Her children, though they had the capability to stay still for certain periods of time, were rarely ever so silent for so long. And there were only two reasons that they were ever so soundless. The first cause being that all of the restlessness had been scared or amazed out of them, or they were plotting. And at the current moment the latter option was much more likely. _

_Korra glanced sideways at her husband who was stirring a boiling five-flavored soup on the stove. After nine years together and six years of marriage, their communication could be almost silent when it came to certain topics, their children being one of those topics. And right then they knew that the three quiet little ones were without a doubt up to no good. "How much longer do you think we should wait before we go see what they're doing?"_

_Her handsome firebender glanced at the small alarm clock ticking away on the counter and smirked. "Give them another five minutes."_

"_Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa," A calm, youthful voice chirped. _

_The couple cooking away glanced from their respective dishes to smile and greet their eldest. His wide blue eyes, though youthful in their wanderlust, awe, and silent humor, held a rather stoic old soul. There was something about his seriousness that was like his father's, yet instead of the street-hardened young man was a little boy that felt a great amount of responsibility to look after his younger siblings, his mother, and make his father proud. Despite the slightly stockier build that he had inherited from his uncle, he immensely favored his father in looks. However, it was a running joke amongst the family and their friends that if Mako and Bolin had somehow magically been able to have a baby together, he would have look just like Kaito. Perhaps it was the gleeful smile that, for a six-year-old, he would give when he wasn't lost in his own thoughts that reminded everyone of the earthbender, or the way a small lock of hair twirled down before his forehead even though the rest of his black hair stuck out in infinite directions. Either way, the little waterbender was incredibly handsome, as was his fraternal twin and as much as his baby sister was beautiful. _

"_Hey, Kaito," His parents chimed together with somewhat intuitive smiles. Mako nonchalantly questioned his son, "Where are Ren and Kanji?"_

"_Oh, down the hall I think," He waved off as though he was not quite sure as to whom they were referring. Gingerly, he climbed onto a bar stool at the island of there kitchen across from his parents, and leaned his pale forearms against the countertop. "What's for dinner?"_

"_Five flavored soup, dumplings, and seaweed noodles." _

"_Sounds good. Do you need any help?" _

_Korra and Mako exchanged a quick glance. It was not unusual for Kaito to be voluntarily helpful. He was almost always more than willing to lend a hand when necessary without being asked. Yet, as it was evident to the young parents that he had participated in the silence down the hall, they were relatively suspicious of his motives. Taking him up on his offer though Mako told him, "You can set the table."_

"_Got it," Kaito decided, hopping off the stool._

"_So what were you guys doing down there?" Korra asked gesturing towards the hallway that led to her family's bedrooms. _

_Kaito shrugged coolly. "Talking."_

"_Just talking? What about?" Mako mused. The three hardly ever could sustain such a long, silent discussion without exploding into a large combustion of laughter or winding up shouting in a heated debate._

"_Well, they're cleaning up too," Kaito pronounced proudly._

"_Cleaning?" Mako questioned in surprise while he began to serve portions onto five separate plates. His children were rather clean, with the exception of Ren's organization skills. Yet, their age and heights created hard to reach places, and the extent of their duties mostly consisted of putting away toys, wiping down door handles, dusting what they could reach, watering the plants, and helping out with what they could at mealtimes._

"_They're picking up their rooms. I'm already finished." Kaito announced rather smugly._

"_Done," Another very young male voice proudly declared as he and his little sister sauntered into the kitchen. "You should go look, Papa. You too, Mama. They all look real nice and clean."_

"_Yeah, real pretty," Kanji added._

"_After dinner that will be the first thing I do," Korra told them with a smile. "But, now, it's time to eat."_

_As soon as she picked up two plates, the boys jumped at the opportunity. Arms outstretched, they offered their immediate assistance to carry them to the table. Kanji followed suit, but was unable to carry more than one in her little hands. Mako smirked at his wife. They clearly wanted something. And to their surprise, the topic of what is was came up sooner than expected._

_As soon as the family was settled down to begin their evening meal, there was a pattern of small movements from the boys. And, Korra could only take them as Kaito shooting his twin brother a glare for kicking him underneath the table, because Ren wanted him to bring up the mystery subject. Kanji was quick to catch on and more indiscreetly nudged the black haired boy with her elbow. Korra and Mako caught on quickly and lowered their chopsticks to look at their little ones. Expectant eyebrows rose. "Yes?"_

_Kaito sighed. It seemed that more often than not, when things needed to be done diplomatically, he was usually their spokesperson. "Didn't Uncle Bolin used to play for the Fire Ferrets?"_

"_So did your Mother and I," Mako told him proudly. "We had a great season. We would have won too, but-"_

"_The WolfBats paid the refs off so they could cheat," Ren recited under his breath. They had all heard much more elaborate versions of the tale thousands of times before._

_His twin shot him another dark look before turning back to his parents. "And now he owns them. Didn't Uncle Bo help set up the-what was it-the little league?"_

_Mako had to try hard to bit back his grin. "Yes, he did."_

"_Oh okay," Kaito said hurriedly after receiving a closed answer. "Well, I was just wondering. Lee Tottori was talking about it today in the park. He said that he was signed up for the Turtle Seal division, the group for nine to eleven year olds, is all. He said his dad said that he paid for some of the stuff. It just seems cool. And-"_

"_Kaito and I want to join!" Ren broadcasted, cutting off his brother. He clasped his hands together and pouted pleadingly. "Please, please, please, please. We'll be so good. And we'll do extra chores. And we'll do whatever else. Just please, please, please!"_

"_Oh, so that's what you want," Korra said pointedly with a large grin._

"_Yes! Please, Momma!" Ren begged as Kaito surpassed throwing him a frustrated look, and took up his own imploring._

"_Please, Papa," Kaito whispered with clasped hands._

"_Please," Kanji muttered. Though she was too young to enter just yet, the little girl still wished for her brothers to achieve their dreams. And, it became apparent to Mako and Korra that the twins had made some sort of deal with her if she were to help them._

_Mako glanced at Korra with a smile, "Do you know how much it costs?"_

"_Seventy-five yuans," Kaito answered immediately. "I have like five times that in my moo sow bank."_

"_You do?" Korra breathed in surprise. She somewhat doubted that her six-year-old had counted up to three hundred and seventy five._

_As Kaito nodded proudly, Mako continued. "You realize that you two would be on separate teams?"_

_The twins exchanged broad, mischievous grins, and Ren answered, "Yep! We'd get to see who's really the better waterbender."_

_Kaito grumbled into his cup of leechi juice as his mother reassured pointedly, "You are both equally as talented in waterbending."_

_Ren shrugged, unconvinced, but chose not to utter another word at the risk of losing the opportunity to enter into the probending junior league. Truthfully, they had considered asking the boys if they had wanted to join, but they had done it for them. And in doing so, had presented a consensus for better behavior. Korra made a face as if she were pondering over whether or not to let her children sign up. Many ex probenders, including herself and Mako, had agreed to help participate in coaching for group practice that would be based on bending type and division. Yet, as if she knew nothing she asked, "Hmm, well do you know when sign-ups are? Or how about how many days a week you'll have practice or games?"_

"_Turtle Duck Division sign-ups are tomorrow and the day after. And practice is three or four days a week with games on Saturday mornings." Kaito told them matter-of-fact. _

"_Hmm," The Avatar hummed in thought as she exchanged knowing looks with her husband._

"_Please," They pleaded once again._

"_Are you going to be committed?" Mako asked._

_They nodded their heads up and down gleefully._

"_Are you going to try your hardest, and do what your coaches tell you at practice?" He asked again._

_Again their brown and black haired heads bobbed up in down and their smiles grew wider._

"_Are you going to respect their decisions and criticism, even if you don't necessarily like what they have to say?" Korra asked, a twinkle in her eye as her husband shot her a look._

_Their hair actually moved with the wind as they nodded again, and they had moved to the edge of their seats in anticipation._

"_What do you think, Mako? Should we let them give this season a shot?"_

"_I don't see why not."_

"_Well, boys, it looks like the five of us are going to go down to the arena tomorrow to sign you up."_

"_Yes!" They cheered, throwing their fists up in celebration. The twins hopped off their chairs and ran around the table to embrace their parents. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"_

"_You're welcome," Korra murmured happily against the tops of their heads as Mako ruffled their hair. When they sat back down Korra turned her attention to her daughter, who grinned from ear to ear. "Kanji, if you'd like, Papa and I can put you in self defense classes, or dance classes, or fencing lessons, or something. Would any of those sound interesting to you?"_

"_No, that's okay," She answered in her tiny, girlish voice, a smile still plastered on her face._

"_Are you sure, sweetheart?" Mako asked in surpirse. It was very unlike Kanji to refuse a new opportunity. She was always one that was rather open to new discoveries and adventures. If not for the thrill of a new adventure, her curiosity should have naturally been inclined to accept her mother's offer. The same curiosity that landed her in trouble more often than not, along with her volatile temper._

"_Yep," She answered cheerfully, picking up some seaweed noodles with her cheater's chopsticks._

"_Well, you should be in something, Kanji. Learn something new besides school." Korra urged._

"_I will be because Ren and Kaito told me they would teach me waterbending that they learned at probending," The amber-eyed little girl announced happily._

"_Did they?" At once Mako and Korra glanced at their boys, whose faces were buried into their bowls as they scooped noodles into their mouths. Their matching cobalt eyes trained on their meals and completely avoided their parent's gazes to avoid confessing to such a promise. A currently impossible promise. Kanji had never shown any sort of capability to bend. It was well-known that children could reveal their bending anywhere between the ages of two and four, with the rare exceptions of a little younger or a little bit older. However, at four-years-old Kanji had yet to demonstrate any traits of a bender._

"_Sure did," Kanji said, not aiding in her brothers' case._

"_Boys," Mako warned as they began to make movements to excuse themselves from the dinner table._

_Korra reached her hand out to Kanji and rubbed her fingers. "Sweetheart, the boys can't teach you waterbending."_

_A look of disappointment crossed the little ones features and Korra suddenly wished she had waited for another opportunity to tear the band aide off so quickly. Kanji stared at her brothers who refused to look at her. But then her expression turned hopeful. "Why not? Is it because you want to teach me waterbending, Mommy?"_

"_Well, I would, but that's not exactly it," Korra muttered._

"_Mommy still might teach you later on," Mako offered, trying to explain without saying it directly that they suspected her to be a nonbender. "Or, I might. We just don't know yet."_

_Blunt as always, before either parent could do a thing about it, Ren announced, "You're not a waterbender."_

_His siblings shot him menacing looks as his parents shook their heads in exasperation. Mako pinched the bridge of his noes as he awaited the oncoming fight. Ren and Kanji were too similar for their own good sometimes with their bold behavior. Kanji stood up on the seat of her chair and faced the boy beside her. She protested, "You said I was!"_

"_Kanji, sit down," Mako told her, but his demand was completely ignored._

"_I did not!" Ren argued, standing up out of his chair and reeling on her._

"_You did too!"_

"_No, I said I would teach you to spar! Not waterbend!"_

"_No, you didn't!"_

"_Yes, I did!"_

"_Liar!"_

"_Nu-uh!"_

_Despite verbal rebuking from both their parents and an anxious look from their brother, their argument quickly escalated. With a shrill cry, Kanji launched herself over his chair and barreled into him. The sheer force caused him to lose his footing, as did the shock of her attack. In his surprised state he received a few good punches before he could retaliate. With a groan of pain and anger, Ren tumbled her over, only for Kanji shove back. As they grappled with one another in a fight of fists, feet, elbows, bites, and pinches, they tussled their way into the parlor._

_Korra wasn't sure if she was more angry or amused as she stood and watched as Mako loomed closer to the tussling pair. They made their way around furniture, tripped over a rug, and rolled straight into mantle. Behind her she heard Kaito laugh as they scuffled in the ashes, and tried to hide her own grin. Mako reached two hands into the fireplace as though he were about to be bitten by a wild animal. With brute force, he extracted his children, covered in soot from head to toe, by the scruffs of their clothes and set them down on the polished hardwood between the kitchen and parlor where the carpet was too fine to ruin._

_Ren coughed up a plume of soot before his father opened his mouth to discipline them. Again, Mako pinched the bridge of his nose, "Okay where do I start?"_

_This time it was Kanji's turn to disrupt her father by ridding her airways of the black powder. Yet, this time was different. She crinkled her nose as though tickled, made a sharp intake of air, and gave the hardest sneeze any of them had ever seen her give. And with it came a hot, bright light that caused everyone to jump in surpise. The family stared at the youngest in shock just briefly. And she stared right back, entirely confused. Ren was first to speak. "Well, it looks like we won't have to teach you waterbending after all."_

_Mako laughed and ruffled his son's head before embracing in little girl in congratulations. All animosity was suddenly alleviated by jubilation and exhilaration as the family joined in on the celebration._

* * *

"Why not give it one try?" Mako asked her curiously.

Kanji glanced back at her brothers and mother who stood idly by with a bucket full of water just in case she were to unintentionally burn something or someone. Quietly she muttered, "What if I can't make it again?"

"Sweetheart, of course you can. It doesn't just come out of your mouth. It's in here." He told her, pointing at her heart. "It's life and spirit. Firebending is about passion and determination. You have both of those things, and I know you can do it. Here, I'll hold your hand until you're comfortable enough for me to let go, okay?"

Kanji took a deep breath and nodded with her eyes closed. Her father's hand slid underneath hers as she concentrated on generating a little flame in the palm of her hand. It came much more quickly than she expected, and she flinched, startled. But, Mako held her steady, a smile in his voice. "It's okay. It won't hurt you, so long as you respect it. You have control of it."

Kanji nodded and watched the flame dance in her hand. The colors shifted so beautifully, and she wondered why exactly she found its appearance so comforting. And then it hit her, the color was the same as her papa's eyes, comforting and loving. She grinned and didn't even realize that Mako's hand was no longer beneath hers. "It's like a little heartbeat"

* * *

_**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!_


	8. An Empty Glass

**A/N: This is sort of set as a spin off to my LOK fic "Embers In The Mist" right after Mako was stabbed. So if you haven't read that, y'all should go check it out! Please review! **

**An Empty Glass**

An empty glass. Make that two empty glasses, and an empty bottle. That was what he found sitting in front of his brother's fiance.

She was slumped over the table, in her pajamas, with unfocused, sleepy blue eyes. Only one light was on in the kitchen, and he assumed that Asami had already gone to bed. Korra's fingers grasped two silver coins as she steered them towards each other, making a sound similar to screeching tires. When they collided, she picked her hand up in a feathered motion and made an explosion noise. Her blue eyes grew large and then shrunk when she realized, in her intoxicated mind, that she had accidentally destroyed her imaginary toys.

The Avatar made a raspberry noise and stuck her tongue out. Bolin had to stifle his chuckle. He had only seen the effects of alcohol on Korra once before, but it had not been so serious. This time, she was was well into the can't-see-properly-phase, and possibly even in the staggering-phase. He reached over top of her to grasp the empty bottle of saki to read the label. No cactus juice thankfully, so hallucinations were not in the equation.

"Bo," Korra slurred, when she noticed him. Her head still against the table, she picked up her hand and waved, one eye squinted. "BoBo! Whaz up?"

Up came out as a popping noise. "Jyou..neeeed somesing? I...ay what're you doing wiv my bottle?"

"It's empty, Korra," Bolin said kindly, kneeling in front of her. "Did you drink the whole thing?"

"Umm I thunk so...Not at one time dough. I snuck it from home." Her voice got low as she explained why she had a bottle of liquor on Air Temple Island, as no one was permitted to have alcohol. She placed her finger to her lips. "Sami thought she waz smartur then me. She hid it. Sh, don't tell nobody. Okay? Specially grumpy ole' q-ball."

"Don't worry," He reassured her, stroking the top of her head. "I won't tell anyone. Korra, why are you drinking?"

It was so unlike her, to wash away her sorrows, in a manner of speech. She pursed her lips. The Water Tribe girl was a horrible liar while intoxicated. "Cuz."

"Cuz?" Realizing that she had no intention of spilling her guts, he grabbed Pabu from around his shoulders. He held the fire ferret under the arms, and put him near her face. He changed the tone of his voice to high pitched whisper. "It's okay, Korra, I won't tell anyone. You can tell me."

Her eyes flickered back and forth. "Promise, Pabu?"

"I promise."

"Okay. Welllllll...I'm worried."

"What are you worried about, Korra?" Bolin continued in his fake Pabu voice.

Tears came to Korra's eyes and before Bolin was certain as to what was happening, the Avatar was bawling. She pushed her face into the table, and let out a breathy cry. Bolin's heart ached at the sight of his miserable best friend. Immediately, he gathered her into his warm embrace, and rubbed her back comfortingly. She sobbed into his shoulder, "He's gonna die!"

He smiled, reassuringly.

It was Mako.

She was terrified about Mako's condition, and rightfully so. They all were, but Korra had suppressed the majority of her concern the entire time he had been in the hospital. This morning he had been discharged from the place, and had been confined to bed in one of the rooms in the family living quarters. He was not in the men's dormitory, in order for Pema to keep a close eye on him. The one time that he had attempted to stagger into the kitchen, stubborn as ever, the firebender had keeled over in pain. While being chastised by every female in the room, he had begun to crawl back to his room, before he was assisted by Tenzin and his brother. In addition to struggling with the stab wound, he had developed a fever from was coming off of his IV.

"He's not going to die, Korra," Bolin told her, brushing tear-streaked hair from her eyes. "Hey, I'm worried about him too, but he's tough. You know that. When we were little he managed to fight off seven teens that were harassing us, when he had the pig-chicken pox. He'll be fine. Do you want to see for yourself?"

She nodded drunkenly. He poured her a glass of water before assisting his intoxicated friend stagger down the hallway to Mako's room. Bolin motioned for her to be quiet, and she mirrored him. The earthbender slid the door open and stepped inside the dark room to see his older brother laying on his side on his bed, his back against the wall. Mako had kicked off the sheets from his fever, but he shivered in sleep as his body tried to warm and cool itself down all at once. Both of them could hear his teeth chattering, his black brows were scrunched from discomfort as he tried to curl closer to himself.

"He's cold," Korra muttered, abruptly climbing into the bed next to him. Before Bolin could react, she had pulled the covers up around them and snuggled her face into the nape of his neck, still careful not to bump his core or be too rough with him.

Surprised, Mako stirred. His amber eyes fluttered open to see his very confused brother standing at his bedside, and then flickered down to see his rather intoxicated girlfriend plastered up against his chest. He raised his hooked eyebrows questioningly, but only received a shrug from the tired earthbender. Mako sighed, dismissing his brother, and closed his eyes. When the door closed behind Bolin, Mako wrapped his arm around his fiance and murmured, "I love you, Korra."

"I love you, Mako," She slurred almost inaudibly as his fingers ran through her loose, mocha hair.

"Your breath is bad," He whispered, sniffing. "Smells like booze."

"Sorry," She mumbled, her eyes still closed.

"No matter," He answered, pushing a soft kiss to her forehead, grateful that she was with him. "You are going to have the worst headache tomorrow."

"I know."

He chuckled, much to his discomfort. "We can be sick together."

"Sounds good."

"We'll take care of it," He promised, lips still skimming across her tan forehead.

"You first," Korra mumbled tiredly, obviously struggling with consciousness.

"We'll see. You sleep this off," Mako whispered. Within seconds, she had slipped into a serene slumber, and he held her as best as he could despite how sore he was. A slight blush crept up his cheeks as he realized that this was the first time that he and Korra had shared a bed so intimately, loving, and close. If Tenzin were to find them like this any other time, the airbending master would have condemned his student to practice forever, and Mako would have been shipped off to join the United Forces without a doubt. But, if he were to find them like this tomorrow, it would be different. Now, they were providing each other safety and comfort. After their brush with death, they knew they couldn't bare to lose the other. They needed each other, even if it was to be held subconsciously. Once more, for good measure, he brushed her hair back and pressed his lips to her temple. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review! And I would actually love for y'all to give me prompts! Much love to everyone!**


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